点评:It's all about the wildlife. The Galapagos wildlife generally doesn't care about humans being nearby. You often find yourself being confronted by all types of birds and sea life. The rules say not to get within 6 feet of the wildlife, but the wildlife don't obey the rules! While I was doing my best to keep my distance, sea lions, turtles, fish birds and iguanas would get much closer to me than the designated 6 feet. We got some amazing photographs as a result.
The expert government certified guides on the Monserrat (Pablo Vargas, Javier Picaza & Yazmany) did a remarkable job of herding us along to experience all these wonderful encounters. Their command of English, knowledge on every species, the geology and history was exceptional. They also took fantastic photos and videos that they shared with everybody.
The crew on the Monserrat took care of our every need. Everlyn did an exceptional job on keeping our cabin clean and in order. The Dinghy captains (and Guides) were diligent about our safety and making sure everybody was accounted for on each excursion. The food was fantastic in presentation and taste. You won't go hungry on the Monserrat. Every meal is 3 courses and snacks were provided after each excursion.
Francisco did a great job serving the food and running the bar. There is a charge for drinks (other than water) and prices were about right considering the remote, captive location. Besides you get plenty of free cocktails (welcome drink, departing drink and some specials when Francisco demonstrates his talents.
Now some cautions. These comments do not take away from my 5 star rating but are intended to inform on some things that may give others concern.
To have a great experience you really need to partake in the snorkeling. You do not need to be a strong swimmer, but you need to be comfortable floating with your face underwater for an hour at a time. 90% of the wildlife encounters happen underwater. If you plan on just land experiences, you will miss out on a lot. The water in April was bathtub warm in most places but on the West side of Isabella Island it was much cooler and the Monserrat provided wetsuits. Do not let the cooler water discourage you. You will miss a lot. Besides when you've had enough, the dinghy captains will let you get on back on board while others continue. Also, the guides provide a life ring to hold onto if you get tired.
The Monserrat has a jacuzzi on the sundeck. When the boat is moving over rougher water they must drain it. Thus, opportunities to use it are very limited. During our 8-day adventure I was the only one to use it (once) after asking them to fill it for me. It would have been a great warm up after some of the snorkeling. If you really want it. Speak up and they will accommodate you.
Cabin repair: during orientation you are informed/warned that if there is a maintenance issue with your cabin the crew will do their best to fix it but repair supplies on board and indeed in the Galapagos are very limited. During our cruise guests experienced rainwater leaking into a cabin, several room safes were inoperable, a shower with reversed hot/cold taps and there was a continuous drip of water from the ceiling in the lounge. All of the "repairs" were very basic (e.g. putting towels under drips). There is no possibility for "proper" repairs during an excursion.
Security: as mentioned above, at least 3 of the safes in the 10 cabins were non-functional. While this might raise a big alarm elsewhere, we were assured security on board is not an issue and it wasn't! Rooms do not have any keys and can only be latched from the inside. We had a large amount of cash in our room and did not have a problem nor did anybody else. Relax!
Space: These are small boats and rooms are necessarily tiny. Storage space for luggage is extremely limited. Simply don't bring a lot or you will be uncomfortable.
The bathroom and showers are functional and spacious enough for one at a time.
Packing tip: bring 2 swimsuits per person. There are days with morning and afternoon snorkeling. Everlyn provides a drying service but it's best to have a separate dry swimsuit for the afternoon session so you can shower when you return in the morning and dry off for lunch then don a second suit for the afternoon session.
Daily itineraries are generally very busy. You can opt out of activities, but you will miss out! The itineraries are necessarily on a rigid schedule. They are dictated by the government and not the crew. So, when it says a "hike at 5pm" and there is a rain cloud looming, there is no possibility of moving the time to let the rain move away. There was one day in our itinerary that was very sparce and that is the "changeover" day. Monsserat 8-day itineraries are really 2 x 4-day itineraries. So, the day in the middle is when they send off the 4-day people and bring on the next group. The problem for those staying on is that there is a very early excursion at 6am (before breakfast for those leaving & staying) and then nothing until about 4-5pm when the newcomers arrive and are oriented. Plan on a rest day for this occurrence.
I offer the cautions above as this information is not provided in the sales material. I think most of the cautions I have listed would apply to any similar Galapagos cruise and are not unique to the Monsserat.
I highly recommend taking the Monserrat for your Galapagos cruise. I cannot imagine how you would be disappointed.
翻译:一切都与野生动物有关。加拉帕戈斯群岛的野生动物通常并不在意人类的存在。你经常会遇到各种各样的鸟类和海洋生物。规定要求游客与野生动物保持6英尺(约1.8米)的距离,但它们可不遵守!尽管我尽力保持距离,海狮、海龟、鱼鸟和鬣蜥还是会游到离我更近的地方,远远超过规定的6英尺。结果,我们拍到了一些非常棒的照片。
蒙塞拉特号上的三位经验丰富的政府认证导游(Pablo Vargas、Javier Picaza 和 Yazmany)带领我们体验了所有这些美妙的邂逅,他们做得非常出色。他们的英语水平、对每种物种、地质和历史的了解都令人叹服。他们还拍摄了许多精彩的照片和视频,并与大家分享。
蒙塞拉特号上的船员们照顾得我们无微不至。Everlyn 把我们的船舱打扫得干净整洁,做得非常棒。小艇船长(兼向导)尽职尽责地保障我们的安全,确保每次出海游览时都有所有人在场。食物摆盘精美,味道鲜美。在蒙塞拉特号上,您绝不会挨饿。每餐都是三道菜,每次游览结束后还会提供小吃。
弗朗西斯科在餐饮服务和酒吧运营方面做得非常出色。饮料(水除外)需要付费,考虑到地处偏远且封闭,价格也算合理。此外,您还能享用大量免费鸡尾酒(迎宾酒、离店酒,以及弗朗西斯科展示才艺时提供的特调饮品)。
现在有一些注意事项。这些建议不会影响我的五星好评,只是想告知一些可能引起其他游客担忧的情况。
要想获得绝佳体验,您一定要参加浮潜。您无需是游泳健将,但需要能够舒适地将脸浸入水中一小时。90%的野生动物邂逅都发生在水下。如果您只计划陆地活动,将会错过很多精彩。四月份大部分地区的水温都像浴缸一样温暖,但伊莎贝拉岛西侧的水温要低得多,蒙塞拉特号会提供潜水服。不要因为水温较低就放弃浮潜。否则您会错过很多。此外,如果您觉得够了,小艇船长会让您返回船上,而其他人则继续前行。另外,导游还会提供救生圈,以防您感到疲惫。
蒙塞拉特号阳光甲板上有一个按摩浴缸。当船只驶过波涛汹涌的海面时,他们必须排空浴缸里的水。因此,使用按摩浴缸的机会非常有限。在我们为期8天的航程中,我是唯一一个使用过按摩浴缸的人(而且只用过一次),当时我还特意要求他们帮我注水。浮潜之后泡个热水澡真是个不错的选择。如果您真的想用,请提前告知,他们会满足您的要求。
客舱维修:在入住须知中,您会被告知/被告知,如果您的客舱出现维修问题,船员会尽力修理,但船上以及加拉帕戈斯群岛的维修用品都非常有限。在我们航行期间,有客人遇到了客舱漏水、几个房间的保险箱无法使用、淋浴间的冷热水龙头反了,以及休息室天花板持续滴水等问题。所有这些“维修”都非常简陋(例如,用毛巾堵住滴水处)。在游览期间,根本不可能进行“正规”的维修。
安全:如上所述, 10间客舱中至少有3个保险箱无法使用。虽然这种情况在其他地方可能会引起恐慌,但我们被告知船上的安全不成问题,事实也的确如此!房间没有钥匙,只能从里面锁上。我们房间里放了很多现金,没有遇到任何问题,其他客人也没有遇到任何问题。放心吧!
空间:这些都是小型船只,房间自然也很小。行李存放空间极其有限。所以最好不要带太多行李,否则会很不方便。
浴室和淋浴间功能齐全,空间也足够一次使用。
打包小贴士:每人带两套泳衣。有些日子会安排上午和下午的浮潜活动。Everlyn提供烘干服务,但最好还是准备一套单独的干泳衣,这样早上回来后可以冲个澡,擦干身体吃午饭,下午再换上另一套泳衣。
每日行程通常都很紧凑。您可以选择不参加某些活动,但那样会错过很多精彩体验!行程安排必须合理。行程安排非常严格,由政府而非工作人员决定。所以,如果行程单上写着“下午5点徒步”,而当时乌云密布,根本不可能为了避雨而更改时间。我们的行程中有一天非常空闲,那就是“交接日”。蒙塞拉特山的8天行程实际上是由两个4天行程组成。因此,中间的一天是送走4天行程的游客,然后接下一批游客。对于继续留宿的游客来说,问题在于早上6点(对于离开和留宿的游客来说都是早餐前)就有一个很早的游览活动,之后直到下午4-5点新游客抵达并进行适应性培训之前,都没有其他活动。建议您为此安排一天的休息时间。
我之所以提出以上注意事项,是因为这些信息并未包含在销售资料中。我认为我列出的这些注意事项大多适用于任何类似的加拉帕戈斯群岛游轮,并非蒙塞拉特号独有。
我强烈推荐您选择蒙塞拉特号作为您的加拉帕戈斯群岛游轮之旅。我实在想不出您会有什么失望之处。